Shelf and mounting means therefor



April 4, .1961 v. LA BONIA ETAL SHELF AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Nov.- 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I QN a aw 3 wm Ta TM & w M b ML N 7 w mw M Q m Q n A. mw 3 mw mm ww m ww mm am F A .Vmbv.

P 1961 v. LA BONIA ETAL 2,978,111

SHELF AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MINI! INVENTQRS Vince/r2 450)? a.

go/7r? W Plait WNW ATTORNEY? United States Patent O Vincent La Bonia, North Haven, and John W. Platt, West Haven, Conn., assignors to The Platt & La Bonia Company, North Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 773,247 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-90) The present invention relates to shelves and means for mounting the same. 7 v

In our copending application Serial No. 761,320, filed September 16, 1958, which became US. Patent No. 2,940,600, on June 14, 1960, there is disclosed a means for mounting shelves between planar supporting surfaces extending perpendicular to the end of the shelf.

The present invention has for an object the provision of shelves and means for supporting the shelves on a planar surface which is parallel to a side edge of the shelves.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that one or more shelves can be mounted in line by means of the brackets to form a continuous shelf surface.

A further feature of the invention resides in the fact that a novel mounting bracket is provided for supporting the shelf, which shelf is provided with a dependent hanging means for receiving garments and which mounting brackets are provided with means for supporting the hanging means against turning thereof under load.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the fact that the brackets can be quickly and easily manufactured and can be easily installed and the shelves removably mounted thereon for easy removal and installation.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the shelf and mounting means of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view with the shelves lifted.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bracket.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a bracket.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a center bracket with shelves supported thereon.

As shown in the drawings, the shelf 10 comprises a top member 11 and has at each end a dependent flange 12. The back edge of the shelf is bent as shown in Fig. 5 to form a back channel member 13 and the front edge is folded down at 14 to provide for longitudinal rigidity in the shelf. In the illustrated form of the invention the front edge 14 is provided with a dependent clothes hanging means 15 in the form of a J-shaped channel 16 extending transversely across the shelf between the end flanges.

While the shelf can be made as a unitary structure of fixed length, in the herein illustrated form of the invention it is extensible and formed of two telescoping parts 10a, 10b.

As shown in the drawings, the bracket, which is preferably made of sheet metal, comprises a pair of plates 17, 18 each having at the rear end a laterally projecting flange 19, 20 or mounting portion which is adapted to be secured to a planar supporting surface 21 preferably extending perpendicular to the back edge of the shelf for the full length thereof. The mounting flanges have apertures 22 therein through which suitable fasteners such as nails, screws or the like 23 may pass.

7 2,978,111 Patented Apr. 4, 1961 As shown in Figs. 3 to 6, the upper edge of the bracket is perpendicular to the supporting surface and the portions 24, 25 of the face-to-face plates adjacent the upper edge are offset at 26, 27 so as to provide a recess 28 into which the end flange 12 of the shelf may be inserted. The bracket is also provided with supporting flanges 29 projecting from the face thereof so as to extend under the bottom of the J-shaped channel as shown in Fig. 5 so as toengage the flat bottom and support the hanging means against turning when the usual clothes hangers (not shown) are mounted on the edge 15a thereof. While the supporting flange may be lanced out of the plates, it is at present preferred to form the flanges by welding or otherwise securing angle irons 30 to the face of the plate as shown in Figs. 3 to 6. I

If a single shelf is tobe mounted, a pair of end brackets L and R such as shown in Fig. 2 are used in which a supporting flange 29 is secured to the inner faces of the brackets so as to extend under the hanging means on the shelf disposed therebetween when the endflanges 12 are located in the recesses 28 and the shelf supported on the upper edge of the bracket.

If a plurality of shelves are to be mounted in line, center brackets C, such as shown in Fig. 2, can be employed in addition to the end brackets R and L and are located between the adjacent ends of the shelves. It will be noted that the center bracket C has supporting flanges 29 on both sides of the bracket so as to support the adjacent ends of the garment hanging means on the two shelves.

Preferably, the brackets are made from sheet metal and a simple stamping and folding operation, the sheetbeing so formed that it is folded around the diagonal edge 31 so as to present the two portions of sheet in overlapped relation and form the plates making up a rigid, strong main body of the bracket. The attaching portions 19, 20 are bent outwardly and the upper edge is offset at 26, 27 during the stamping and folding operation, and thereafter it ismerely necessary to weld the angle iron to one or both sides of the bracket to form an end or center bracket.

It will be seen that the bracket of the present invention is easy to fabricate and that the installation and removal of the shelf is greatly facilitated since it can be readily lifted upwardly from the bracket to disengage the end flanges on the shelves from the recesses; yet when the shelf is in place it is supported by the upper edge of the bracket and the clothes hanging means is supported by the flange 29 to provide a stable and steady shelf structure.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

We claim:

1. A combination shelving and hanging means and support therefor comprising a shelf having a downturned flange on the ends thereof, a contiguous hanging means dependingly connected to said shelf for supporting a plurality of garment hangers thereon, and supporting means including a spaced pair of elongated brackets, each bracket having a vertical bend forming a mounting portion at one end disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the bracket and adapted to be secured to a planar supporting surface extending along and perpendicular to the back edge of said shelf, the upper edge of said bracket being perpendicular to said supporting surface and having a portion adjacent said upper edge thereof laterally offset to form a recess opening to the top of said bracket so that said downturned flange of said shelf may be received in said recess for removably supporting the shelf on said offset upper edge, said brackets each having a supporting flange projecting from the plane of the bracket and extending under and supporting one end of said depending hanging means so as to prevent turning of said hanging means when a load is applied thereto as by hanging a number of weighted garments thereon. A

2. A combination shelving and garment hanging means and support therefor comprising a plurality of shelves, each having a downturned flange on the ends thereof and a contiguous hanging means dependingly connected to each shelf between said ends for supporting a plurality of garment hangers thereon, and supporting means for said shelves including a center bracket and a pair of end brackets, each bracket comprising a body member having a vertical bend forming a mounting flange at one end disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the body member and adapted to be secured to a planar supporting surface extending along and perpendicular to the back edge of said shelves, the upper edge of said body member being perpendicular to said mounting flange and having a portion adjacent said upper edge thereof laterally oifset from the plane of the body member to form a recess receiving the downturned flanges of said shelves for removably supporting the shelf on the edge of said oflset upper portion, said center bracket haying supporting flanges projecting from the body member in opposite directions and said end brackets having a supporting flange projecting from the inner face of the body member and said supporting flanges extending under and supporting the ends of said depending hanging means so as to prevent turning of said hanging means when a load is applied thereto as by hanging a number of weighted garments thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 585,431 Corscaden June 29, 1897 1,760,503 Knape May 27, 1930 2,681,786 Sparring June 22, 1954 2,720,316 Glascott Oct. 11, 1955 2,790,559 Stephenson Apr. 30 1957 2,870,916 La Bom'a Jan. 27, 1959 

